Factionalism within the Congress reportedly came to the fore during a meeting on organisational preparedness in North Dinajpur district on Saturday ahead of the Assembly polls.

The disagreement surfaced in the presence of Md Hamdullah Sayeed, Congress’s observer for the district and the Lakshadweep MP, over the candidate for the Goalpokhar Assembly constituency of the district, sources said.

The meeting was held at the Islampur circuit house, where Sayeed interacted with block-level leaders from the Chopra, Islampur and Goalpokhar Assembly segments. District Congress president Mohit Sengupta was also present at the meeting.

There, a heated argument broke out between two factions over the possible candidate for the Goalpokhar seat. A group of Congress leaders demanded that Ali Imran Ramz, popularly known as Victor, be nominated as the party candidate. Supporters of Victor insisted that he be fielded from Goalpokhar.

Congress leader Nasim Ehsan stated that those backing Victor were not Congress members. “Ehsan said everyone must accept whoever the party officially announces as the candidate. This led to the disagreement,” said a party insider, adding that Victor's supporters underlined that they wanted him.

Congress observer Sayeed, however, denied any internal conflict over candidature.

“The meeting primarily focused on strengthening the party’s organisation ahead of the polls. There was no major issue of disagreement,” he said.

The Congress is focusing is North Dinajpur, one of its erstwhile bastions like Malda and Murshidabad.

Victor, who did not attend the meeting, said over the phone that he had first won the by-election from the Goalpokhar seat in 2009 to become an MLA.

After the delimitation of constituencies in 2011, he went on to win twice consecutively from the Chakulia constituency.

“I have never viewed the two regions separately and have stood by the people of both (Goalpokhar and Chakulia). I am ready to contest the upcoming election from either of the two constituencies and will abide by whichever decision the party ultimately takes,” he said.